Following Recent Missouri Disaster Declaration, Senator Finishes Push to Quickly Confirm Brock Long

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- The office of Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., issued the following news release:

Today, Senator Claire McCaskill, the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, voted to confirm Brock Long, President Trump's nominee to become the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which leads the federal government's emergency management and prevention efforts.

"As Missourians continue to rebuild from devastating floods, it's critically important that FEMA has the staff and resources to help folks in my state," McCaskill said. "Mr. Long has an extensive career in emergency management, and I look forward to working with him to make sure that Missourians have the assistance they need to recover when disaster strikes."

Prior to today's vote, McCaskill met with Long to discuss Missouri's recent floods and the role of FEMA in supporting efforts to recover from emergencies and prepare for future ones. McCaskill also asked Long questions during his Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee confirmation hearing earlier this month.

Earlier this month, President Trump issued a federal disaster declaration for Missouri communities recovering from recent flooding, after McCaskill and Senator Roy Blunt sent a bipartisan letter in support of Governor Eric Greitens' request for federal resources. McCaskill also recently backed legislation to require FEMA to create easily accessible online grant training for first responders taking into account the time and financial pressures many fire departments face, particularly those in rural areas.